Keeneland’s Book 4 catalog produced a price worthy of being in the select Book 1 portion on Tuesday when impressive maiden winner Flashy Gray sold to West Point Thoroughbreds for $775,000 at the November Breeding Stock sale.

Consigned by Gainesway, Flashy Gray was offered as part of the dispersal of Thoroughbred holdings by Dolphus Morrison, owner and breeder of 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra. The 2-year-old gray filly is by Airdrie sire Flashy Bull – who was campaigned by West Point Thoroughbreds – and broke her maiden second time out at Churchill on November 8 by 10 1/4 lengths for trainer Lon Wiggins.

“It definitely kind of caught our eye when she won by a pole last week so we kind of just thought about it over the weekend, came out to see her…and we love Flashy Bull.” said Erin Finley, director of communications for West Point Thoroughbreds and daughter of the partnership’s founder, Terry Finley. “We kind of just came in here and went with our gut. We’ll probably send her to Bill Mott and point her for possibly the Golden Rod (at Churchill) or some other options.”

Flashy Gray,who ran second in her career debut at Keeneland, is out of the Cat’s Career mare Pleasure Cat.

“We knew coming in there would be some people on her after she ran so impressively and she ran so well at Keeneland so it kind of showed she was versatile on both surfaces,” Finley said. “We figured at least half a million but we’re happy with it.”

Morrison announced this summer he was dispersing of 22 horses – seven broodmares, five 2-year-olds in training, four yearlings, and six weanlings – at the Keeneland November sale. The lone horse not included in the dispersal was Rachel Alexandra’s dam, Lotta Kim, as she has battled reproductive issues.

Morrison, who sold Rachel Alexandra to Stonestreet Farm and Hal McCormick for $10 million days after her record-setting 20 1/4 length triumph in the 2009 Kentucky Oaks, said Flashy Gray reminded him of his former champion with the ease at which she moved in the mornings.

“She’s the best racehorse I owned,” Morrison said. “She exceeded Rachel Alexandra’s training times at the training center, she beat all of her time. She’s extremely fast, she’s got a great airway, great feet, great conformation…she will be wonderful racehorse unless something weird happens to her. That was a great buy.”

Morrison downplayed the bittersweet aspect of letting his Thoroughbred holdings go, citing decades of work and wanting to finally enjoy the long awaited success.

“I’ve had 35 years of great success and fun and made a lot of money in the Thoroughbred business,” Morrison said. “I’m one of the few people who made a lot of money in the horse business. It was time for me to sell my horses. My wife kept one, she kept a Tapit filly (Shesakitty) and she will be a great racehorse and be a hobby for my wife. But we just had a wonderful career in the racing industry and we’ll marginally stay around.”

Alicia Wincze Hughes is the turf writer for the Lexington Herald-Leader. She started riding at age 8 and was a four-year member of the Pace University equestrian team.